Adjustable spraying device for etching machines



Feb. 18, 1930. A. HoLMsTRoM ADJUSTABLE SPRAYINE DEVICE FOR ETcHING MACHINES Filed July 2, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb.. 18, 1930. A. H oLMsTRoM. 1,747,168

ADJUSTABLE SPRAYING DEVICE FOR ETCHING MACHINES Filed Jul'y 2, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb; 18, 1930. A. HoLMs'rRoM m7475158 ADJUSTABLE sPRAYING DEVICE FoR`ETcHING MACHINES Filed-July 2, 1921 s sheets-smet 3 5 w. Il YQ t@ *A A M if A@ A wf gs AQ! A Nil iii Il, :iA S y :I (1,(-

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Plantea Feb. 1s, 1930 AXEL HOLLISTROM, OF MONTE CARLO, MONACO ADJUSTABLE SPRAYING DEvTcEFoR ETCHING MACHINES Application led July 2, 1927. Serial No. 203,026.

My invention relates to etching machines, and more particularly to .etching 'machines in which the etching acid is sprayed upon the plates to be etched by means of a revolving` paddle.

The main purpose of my invention is to direct the spray of etching acid variantly according to the variant sizes of the plates to be etched or to spray upon a part only of the szifreiplate, preferably using an adjustable A further urpose is to directthe spray of etching acid y an angularly adjustable and acid resistant preferably stoneware mounted inside an etching chamber, with an adjustment thereof outside of the chamber.

I have preferred to illustrate my invention by three forms only of the manyin which it may appear, selecting these because they are practical, eicient and inexpensive and at the same time well illustrate the principles of my invention.- l

Figure 1 is a vertical, transverse section of a machine embodying my invention, being a section takenupon the line 1-1 of Figure 2. v.

Figure 2 is a left end elevation of Figure 1.

l Figure 3 is a vertical section corresponding generally to Figure l, showing a dierent form, and is a section taken upon the line 3-3 of Figure 4 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical section taken upon the line 4--4 of i5-Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows. v v

' Figure 5 is a vertical sectional elevation corresponding generally t-o Figures 1 and'3 but showing a third' form, and is a section 4 upon the line 5-5 of Figure 6 looking in the direction of the arrows. I

Figure 6 is a longitudinal, sectional elevation upon the line 6 6 of Figure 5.

Like numerals refer to like parts in all figures.

Describing in illustration andnot in limitation and referring to the drawings In etching devices of this character the acid within a stoneware box 10 is thrown 'upon the plates 11 or 11 by means of a stoneware paddle 12 mounted upon a shaft 13 that is protected from the acid` by being covered with rubber or other protective coating. The bearings 14 of the shaft are placed outside of the box to be away from the acid,

and having a bearing at each end.

- The-bearings are suitably supported upon wooden beams 15 and 16 clamped to place against opposite sides of the box by suitable tie bolts 17 and 18.

yThe level 19' ofthe etching liquor within the'stoneware is well below theshaft, and the revolving blades 20 ofthe paddle dip into the liquor, pick it up and cast it into a baffle space 2l and past a directing Ibaiile 22 against the plates 11, 11. The plates are set in upwardly directed grooves23 or 23 along an inwardly projecting downwardly slop- Lug shelf 24 upon the opposite side of the the shaft extending clear'through the bo My" invention relates "principally, to the baiiie structure for variantly directing the spray of etching liquor.

. The box has a removable cover 25 and is operated at pressure slightly below atmosphere toprevent acid fumes from escaping into the room.

y A fan 26 inside an inlet portion 27 of a waste iiue not shown continuously exhausts the box'to t-hewasteflue. Fresh air from the room thus flows continuously into the box atany or all of the other openings to be drawnaway with the acid fumes by fan 26. The several openings are located at the side at' 28, at 29 topass the shaft of the pad? dle 12, at 30 topass an adjustment connection to the baille, and at the cover 25.

The 'l shaft of the paddle carries a double grooved pulley 31 for belt drive at one groove and operative belt-connection to a pulley- 32 Vupon theshaft of the fan, at the other groove.

A drain plug is shown at 33. j I mount the baiiie 22 asa rocking member angularly adjustable to varantly direct the spray, and make it of acid resistant material-'preferably stoneware.

Horizontally projecting trunnion ends 34 of the baille are supported in bearings 35 upon opposite ends of the box. These bearings `are preferably integral with the stoneware box and are shown as inwardly directed flanges around the lower portions of the trunnion.

with an eye 63 near itsouter edge and at one end of the baiiie.

A lifting rod 64 suitably protected with rubber or other coating from the acid, hooks One or both of the bearings should be Linto the eye 63 and extends upwardly to an open at the top to permit easy'insertion of the baille member. i

The trunnion ends of the baille are at the rear side of the bailie so that the baille tends to tip downward and forward by its own weight. s

In the form of Figures 1 and 2, the baffle member is cast with an operating arm 36, which extends rearwardly through an opening 37 in the back of the box, into an open compartment 38.

The compartment 38 catches and returns to the box any acid running back from the wet baille and dripping from the arm 36. The compartment 1s open at the top and its wall 39 is preferably integral with rear wall 40 of the box.

The arm 36 has a downwardl flaring perforation 41 which receives the ower threaded end 42 of an operating rod 43.` An ad e arm and downward movement', of the baille.

A rocker arm 45 pivotally mounted at 46 i between standards 47 and 48 upon the top of the box vertically positions the rod, having one arm 49 pivotally connected at 50 to the upper end of the rod and the other arm 51 formino' an operating handle.

The handle is adapted to be set todiierent positions along a toothed sector 52 carried by` the standard 47. Ay suitable lock member 53 pivoted at 54 to the upper 'end of the handle has a lockelement 55 adapted to mesh between diierent teeth of the sector, and a release element 56.

The bale member tends to rockforward and is prevented from its forward movement by enga ement between its arm 36 and the nut 44 o the rod 43. Thel baille member isset to different ositions by changing the setting of the handitl along its sector. Y

Inthe form shown in Figures 3 and 4 the crank arm 36" of the rocker member is supplied with an eye 57 yon the upper side vof its rearward end, and a hook member 58 hooks in the eye and extends ".pwardly to make swivel connection at 59 with the lower end of a shaft 60 threaded through a suppoting'nut member 61 fastened to the upper portion of the box.

rto

bpening 65, where it bends through the side wall of the box and outwardly to present a handle 66 outside the box.

The opening is provided with a number of steps (three shown) 67, 68 and 69 of progressively different height for use in changing the position of the baiile member, each step being adapted to seat the handle 66. When the handle is in the upper step 67 the baflle is in its highest position and correspondingly when in its lowest step 69 is in its lowest position.

The opening 65 is preferably closed by a suitable gasket 70 andsupporting flange 71, sleeve 72 and nut 73 all upon the handle 66.

The baiiie member'is set to position to best direct the spray over the surface ofthe plate. If the plate be a large one as 11 of Figure 5 the baille will be 'placed in its highest position and the spray 1s directed in a wide stream over the whole plate, from the top of the plate downwardly.

For a small plate, however, such as 11 the baille will :be placed at its low position, concentrating the spray to the smaller plate, from the top of the plate downwardly.

The stream of spray is directed over the whole plate, but'the aille concentrates the stream to a considerable extent at the top of the plate whence it runs down over the lower portions, and during the etching loperation the whole plate surface is covered with a downwardly owing stream of etchin acid.

It will be ,evident thatalteration of t e position of the balilewill not only alter the intensity of concentration of the acid upon a given plate surface or portion of a plate surface but will also correspondingly affect the speed of removal of the products of the etchvided' y vthe baille and inthe path between the baille and the plate.

In addition to effects of adjustment from the stand-point of altering the speed or range of etching there is a considerable advantage from the adjustment of the baille arising from what might be called the by-product advantage of lowering the upper range of travel of the sprayed yfluid. This lies in the fact that the Aunit can effectively be shut down notwithstanding the paddle continues to rotate. One utility of this appears in applicantsV later filed copending application 258,237 for etching machines, filed March l,

1928, in which a battery of units is shown operating from the same shaft. One 0f these units may be operating upon a plate requiring deep etching such as line etching, taking say 20 minutes, during which time quite a unit, considerable time will be saved.

Even with single units the needs in re-etching may be lmuch more closely approximated if, for the very short time required, it be not necessary to slow down the motor to stop the paddle or to start the motor` within this reetching process.

In specific 'cases it may be advantageos to movethe position of the baille during-thespraying operation, rocking it up and down. Usually, however, this will not be necessary, the baiiie being set to position according-to the size of the plate, and directing the spray' over the whole plate but the top of the plate. y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentis 1. In a machine for etching plates, a box adapted to contain etching liquor and plates of variant sizes along one side of the box above the liquor, a paddle in the box adapted to dip int-o and throw the liquor, and a movable baiile in the box adapted to variantly direct the thrown liquor from the paddle to a plate in combination with an adjustment Afor the baille whereby the etching iiuid may be scattered over a large surface or may be scattered upon the lower part of the surface to intensify the etching action. A

2. Ina machine for etching plates, a box adapted to contain etching liquor and plates of variant sizes along one side of the box above the liquor, a paddle in the box adapted to dip in'to and throw the liquor, and a baiie in the box adapted to variantly direct the thrown liquor from the paddle to a plate in combination with an adjustment for the baiiie operative from outsidethe box whereby the principally toward etching iiuid may be scattered over a large surface or may be scattered upon the lower part of the surface to intensify the etching action. v

3. In an etching machine, anangularly adjustable acid resistant baiiie in combination with an etching chamber within vwhich the baiiie operates and means for throwing an etching liquor against the baiiie adapting to variantly disperse finely ldivided acid upon thel plate to be etched whereby the etching yfluid may be scattered over a large surface or may be scattered u on the lower part of the surface to intensi y the etching action.

4. In an etching machine, a pottery etching chamber having a lateral opening, a pottery balie pivotally mounted inside the chamber, means for throwing etching liquor against the baiiie and means for angularly adjusting the baiile through the opening so as variantly to disperse finely divided acid upon the late according tothe angular adjustment o the tery baffle having baie whereby the etching fluid may be scattered over a large surface or may be scattered u on the lower part of the surface to intensi the etchin action.

5. In a machine. or etching plates a box adapted to contain etching liquor and plates to be etched along one side of the box above the liquor,a paddle -in the box adapted to dip into and throw the liquor, a movable baffle in the box adapted to variantly direct the thrown liquor received `from the paddle and means for moving the baille to cut oli an upper range of liquor throw otherwise reached y the liquor.v

6. In an` etching machine, a pottery etching chamber, having a lateral opening, a potopposite trunnion ends piv` otally supporte by opposite walls of the chamber, a forwardly directed baiie and a rearwardly directed arm through the opening, in combination with means for directing etching spray against the baiiie and an adjustment for the arm with respect to angular position.

7. In an etching machine, a pottery etchingl chamber, having a lateral opening and an external wall about the` opening openat the top,

a pottery baiile having opposite trunnion ends pivotally supported by opposite walls of the chamber, a forwardly directed-baffle and a rearwardly directed arm through the opening and connections through theopen top for angular .adjustment ofl the' arm. Y

, 8. In an etching machine, a pottery etching chamber having an external pocket at the rear end thereof opening thereinto, a forwardly weighted baiiie horizontally pivotally supported inside the chamber and having an operating arm extending into the pocket downwardly recessed near its outer end, an operating rod having a lower end in the recess and engaging the'arm at the recess to prevent upward movement of the arm from forward ltilting of the baiiie, and a vertical adjust- 

